CARDIFF CITY'S record signing Peter Thorne last night insisted he is not frightened of the hostile reception that awaits his return to the Britannia Stadium on Sunday.

CARDIFF CITY'S record signing Peter Thorne last night insisted he is not frightened of the hostile reception that awaits his return to the Britannia Stadium on Sunday. Thorne, a #1.7m signing from Stoke earlier this season, will face his former team-mates for the first time in the opening leg of the play-off semi-final.

City skipper Graham Kavanagh, another ex-Stoke player, was barracked throughout the Bluebirds' 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium in December, while Thorne missed both that game and the league return at Ninian Park the following month with an ankle injury.

"Kav told me he had unbelievable stick when he went back to Stoke," said the 28-year-old striker.

"I felt bad because I let him take all the abuse on his own. I'd like to think I'll get a fair reception from the Stoke fans, but I don't think I will which is a bit of a shame really.

"But that won't bother me because I've got a thick skin. Players can hear the crowd giving them abuse but it shouldn't affect us.

"These things happen in football. I've had bad receptions in the past and I'm sure I'll have some bad ones in the future."

Thorne spent four years with the Potters and became a huge favourite before his record-breaking move to Ninian Park.

"The difference between me and Kav is that he wanted a change, whereas I didn't ask to leave Stoke," said Thorne.

"My move came out of the blue and it will feel strange going back to the Britannia. But I'm a Cardiff City player now and, as everyone who knows me will tell you, I don't dwell on the past.

"We'll definitely be going for it at Stoke. We're playing a 4-3-3 system at the moment which is an attack-minded formation so we won't be holding back.

"It's not our style to worry about the opposition. Let them worry about us. We're playing well at the moment and we're going to give it our best shot in the play-offs.

"If we had gone on this run earlier we might have finished in the top two and got automatic promotion.

"But, to be honest, I think we've done fantastically well to get into the play-offs. If you looked at how things were going midway through the season a lot of people would have said we wouldn't make the top six."